What software do I need?

Chemscape Chime
Plug-in

Chime at MDL

To visualize molecules, we have chosen to use the Chemscape Chime plugin. This plug-in is currently available for MS Windows and the Macintosh, and can be downloaded from our ftp site. Check the MDL link under the logo on the left for more recent downloads.
Currently Chime 2.6 SP5 (MDLChimeSP5.exe) is the latest one (2004). This is an executable that will install Chime in the browsers on your system.
Version 2(a) for the Macintosh PowerPC (not for the 68k Macs, not for MS IE) is also there.
The SGI Irix version of Chime stopped at v0.9, and it is found on our ftp site for historical reasons mainly.

You'll need to have this plug-in properly installed to view the Organic Chemistry Modules. If it is not already installed, have a look at this short installation guide. There's also a Dutch version of this guide.

One feature in the Mol4D pages is the use of buttons in the text, which control the Chime display through Javascript functions. This can be display styles, highlights by colouring, or the control of animations. (By animations we mean the display of successive structures, not mere rotation.) It is this feature that gives Chime most of its educational value!
We are very much obliged to two people from whom we got scripts that make the Chime features more and more browser independent: Jean-Philippe Demers from Canada for his Method of Interaction script, and Bob Hanson (St. Olaf College) for his script that improves the animations. They have been gradually implemented in our pages.

For an overview of Chime/browser problems, see also Eric Martz' pages on this subject.

Java applets

Currently (June 2004) we are working on the implementation of Jmol, which could in the long run replace Chime. We made a start on the editor page. Jmol requires the presence of a Java Runtime Environment (JRE), obtainable (if not already present) from the SUN Java site.

More experimental is the use of Java3D, which we implemented in our own JAIME applet.
If you happen to have the latest JRE and Java3D installed, try this test page. Jaime contains a lot of functions that made Chime useful, and combines the clickable energy plot and the animated structures in one applet window.
If you can use neither Java nor Chime, you still have your textbook....

VRML2
CosmoPlayer 		To display orbitals in 3D, we use (through MOLDEN) the VRML2 format, because it also allows animations. See the Diels-Alder tutorial for an example.
As viewers for these files we mention CosmoPlayer or Cortona, available (free) for Windows and Mac machines.
Or look here for other VRML-viewers.
It is impossible to discuss all combinations of hardware and software here.
We would be grateful if you report any problems that you experience using these tutorials, mentioning the relevant data on operating system, browser, and chime version.